Roller-skate.



J. E. MOALLISTER.

ROLLER SKATE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 26, 1911.

1 69 968 Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

WITESSES 39 as 40 .B?

ya. l 1 ATTORNEY Ii rrnn sears Penna onniom JOHN E. MQALLISTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, P NNsYLvANI ASSIGNOR OF'ONE-FOUBTH T EDWARD E. WRIGHT, ONE-FOURTH 'r'o' WILLIAM YJOYY'CE, AND ONE-FOURTH TO HENRY sIMoN, ALL OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROLLER-SKATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedriu gu12,1913.

Application filed June 26, 1911. Serial No. 635,294.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. MoALLIs'rER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Skates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to roller skates and in such connection it has particular relation to the construction and arrangement of a roller skate made from pressed sheet metal.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a simple and durable roller skate which will be light yet strong and which may be economically constructed.

My invent-ion contemplates a roller skate of the type wherein the foot plate is made of two sections longitudinally extensible with respect to each other and it also contemplates means for stiffening the structure without materially adding to its weight.

The nature and characteristic features of my invention will be more readily understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a roller skate embodying the main features of my present invention; Fig. 2 is an underneath plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the front rollers and truck, the section being taken approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the foot plate, taken approximately on the line ll of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a transverse section, looking to the rear, of the foot plate and associated parts, taken approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the front end of the sole plate, taken approximately on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 and showing the means for clamping the skate to the sole of the shoe.

Referring to the drawings, in the particular embodiment of my invention there shown, the foot plate comprises two sections longitudinally extensible with respect to each other, namely; a sole plate 8 and a heel plate 9. The sole plate 8 and the heel plate 9 are provided with overlapping tongues 10 and 11 respectively, suitably slotted for the fastening bolts 12 and 13. The tongue 11 of the h el plate 9 also passes through a transverse slot 1 1 in the sole plate 8 which is also offset as at 15 so that the tongue 11 may freely pass through said slot as the foot plate is lengthened or shortened as the case may be. The sole plate 8 is provided with a marginal flange 16 extending downwardly and following the contour of the sole plate and its tongue 10, which flange 16 will serve to effectively stiffen the entire structure and prevent the bending of the sole plate which has heretofore been an objection to skates having the foot plates made of sheet metal. By the employment of the marginal flange 16, the sole plate 8 can be made of a lighter gage of metal and still be much stronger than heretofore.

In order to stiffen the foot plate at its central portion thereis provided a longitudinally extending member 17, U shaped in cross section (see Figs. 4 and 5) and provided with a slot 18 which registers with the slots 1.) and 20 in the sole and heel plate tongues 10 and 11 respectively, which slots are provided for the fastening bolts 12 and 13 as hereinbefore stated. The stiffening member 17 is secured at its rear end to the heel plate 9 by means of a rivet 21 which also serves to space the stiffening member 17 a suflicient distance below the heel plate 9 to enable the sole plate tongue 10 to freely move back and forth when the fastening bolts 12 and 13 are loosened for the purpose of adjustment. The stiffening member 17 extends longitudinally between the flanges 16 of the ton ue 11 of the sole plate and is arranged with its open or channeled side next to said tongue 11, thereby greatly strengthening the skate at its central portion and preventing bending of the parts which are adjustable with respect to each other.

The wheel trucks may be of any preferred construction and each of said trucks at the front and rear respectively may be provided with one or two wheels or rollers as desired.

As shown in the drawings the trucks each comprise a bracket 22 punched and formed from sheet metal and having a flat rectangular portion 23 from which the fastening wings 24 extend upwardly and are riveted in the foot plate in the usual manner. The fastening wings 24 may be. of any desired contour in cross-section to permit the free movement of the sole plate and heel plate tongues when the foot plate is adjusted in length. The flat rectangular portion 23 of each bracket 22 is also provided-with two downwardly projecting wings 25 in which aninclined pivot pin 26- is mounted, and upon the inclined pivot pin 26 is also mounted a sheetmetal bracket 27 having a central loop 28 which surrounds and thereby supports the arbor 29 upon which the wheels or rollers 30 are journaled by means of ball or other types of bearings as desired. Between the arbor bracket 27 and the pivot supporting bracket 22 there is interposed a rubber buffer 31 which serves to normally maintain the rollers in their proper relationship with respect to the foot plate of the skate, but which will permit a slight movement in one direction or the other about the inclined pivot pin 26 to thereby cause the arbors 28 of the front and rear ture is well known and need not be further described.

The foot plate is secured to the shoe of the user by means of the common heel strap 32 and a sole clamp 33. The sole clamp 33 comprises two bent metal strips 34 which each have a horizontal portion 35 which extends through a slot 36 in the flange 16 of the sole plate 8, and each clamping member 34 is provided with an upward extension 37 having an inturned lip 38 adapted to grip the sole of the wearers shoe and each clamping member 34 is also provided with a downward extension 39 which is suitably threaded to be engaged by a right and left hand screw bolt 40. The screw 40 is provided at its end with a square portion 41 for engagement by a key and at its center with an annular recess 42 which is guided in a bracket 43 which depends downwardly from the under side of the sole plate 8. Extending from each of the inclined pivot pins 26, from the lowermost part thereof, is a bracing strip 44, each end of which is apertured, the one end being secured under the head of the pin 26 and the other end being fastened under the nut of one of the respective fastening bolts 12 or 13. It should be understood however that these brace strips may be dispensed if desired and that a single fastening bolt may be employed for securing the overlapping tongues of the sole and heel plates.

It will be seen there 'is thus provided a roller skate having an extensible foot plate and which is light yet extremely strong and durable. The downwardly depending flange 16 of the sole plate 8- will effectively maintain the initial shape of the same notwithstanding the rough usage to which the skate will be subjected in use, and the stiffening member 17 will prevent the overlapping tongues of the sole and heel plates from being bent so that ease of adjustment will not be thus interfered with.

Having thus described the nature and characteristic features of my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. In a roller skate, a foot plate comprising a sole plate and a. heel plate longitudi nally extensible with respect to each other and having overlapping tongues adapted to be clamped together, and a centrally disposed stiflening member arranged beneath the tongues and adapted to be clamped thereto,-said stiifening member comprising a bar U shaped in cross-section and having its open or channeled side next to said tongues.

2. In a roller skate, a foot plate comprisin a sole plate and a heel plate longitudina 1y extensible with respect to each other and having overlapping slotted tongues, a centrally disposed stiffening member coinprising a Ufshaped bar having its open or channeled side next to the tongues and having a slot in register with the slots in said tongues, and a fastening bolt passing through the'slots of the tongues and stifiening member and adapted to clamp the same together.

3. In a roller skate, a foot plate comprising a sole plate and a heel plate longitudinally extensible with respect to each other, and having overlapping tongues adapted to be clamped together, the sole plate being made of sheet metal and having a .downwardly extending flange following the contour of said sole plate and its tongue, and a centrally disposed stiffening member arranged beneath the tongues and adapted to be clamped thereto, said stiffening member comprising a bar U shaped in cross-section and having its open or channeled side next to said tongues.

4. In a roller skate, a foot plate comprising a sole plate and a heel plate longitudinally extensible with respect to each other and having overlapping slotted tongues, the sole plate being made of sheet metal and having a downwardly extending flange following the contour of said sole plate and its tongue, a centrally disposed stiffening member comprising a U shaped her having its In testimony whereof, I have hereunto open or channeled side next to the, tongues, signed my name in the presence of two Witand having a slot in register with the slots nesses.

in said tongues, and a fastening bolt passing JOHN E. MGALLISTER.

' through the slots of the tongues and the Witnesses:

stiffening member, and adapted to clamp the JOSEPHINE C. VVOBENSMITH, same together. HENRY SIMON. 

